Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I am privileged to recognize the following high school students from the 24th Congressional District of Texas who were selected as finalists in the Congressional Art Competition. Of the 179 pieces entered in 24th District, only 32 students were selected as finalists.

Student, Title of the Artwork:

Emily Buckland, The Birds Are Singing.

Purujit Chatterjee, Portrait of Mother Teresa.

Eunice Choe, Blue Bird.

Lovell Cox, Jungle.

Erin Crumpler, Poison Dart Frogs.

Nicole Crumpler, The Power of Perception.

Amie Deng, Magnolia Warbler in Orchids.

Laura Gao, Little Italy.

Greg Garza, Viper.

Sophia Glasser-Kerr, Winter Landscape.

Kelsie Harshaw, On the Edge.

Rebecca Hopkins, Intaglio Monoprint Beach Scene.

Madeline Huang, Purple Twilight.

Diane Huynh, Afterlife.

Heather Jang, Abstract Study.

Esther Jeon, Self Portrait with a Fan.

Rebecca Kim, Happy Beginnings.

Yvonne Kim, Intrusion.

Min Sun Lee, First Step Towards Independence.

Sooin Lim, Garlic.

Ahona Mukherjee, Main Cabin Under an Aurora Streak.

Olivia Najera, Tiger at Water.

Lauren Oney, Red.

Jeongho Park, The Hug.

JC Patino, Arabian Allure.

Fabiana Perez, Self Portrait.

Yu Jin Rim, The Lamp.

Nicole Schifferdecker, Beginning To End.

Caitlyn Shannon, Gradient.

Duc Tran Nguyen, Ice.

Kailey Visoski, 'Merica.

Katy Yut, Prayer.

The art competition was represented by many different high schools in the 24th District. I am honored at this time to acknowledge

the participating schools and the art teachers who helped facilitate the process by assisting their students.

High School, Art Teacher:

Carroll Senior High School, Eric Horn & Summer Neimann.

Carrollton Christian Academy, Holly Hendrix.

Coppell High School, Tamera Westervelt.

Creekview High School, Bob Thomas.

Grapevine High School, Jeff Nisbet.

The Hockaday School Jack E., Janet Yoshii-Buenger.

Newman Smith High School, Keith Mueller.

Parish Episcopal School, Beka Johnson.

Prestonwood Christian Academy, Brenda Robson.

Ranchview High School, Erin West.

Jack E. Singley Academy, Amy Moore.

St. Mark's School of Texas, Max Wood.

Mr. Speaker, I ask all my distinguished colleagues to join me in congratulating these exceptional high school artists on becoming finalists in the 24th Congressional District of Texas Art Competition.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the grand opening of the Cypress Waters commercial and residential planned community. Developed by Henry and Lucy Billingsley, Cypress Waters is a 1,000 acre development on the 362 acre North Lake. It is anchored by the City of Dallas, Texas, with parts also in the cities of Coppell and Irving. Cypress Waters is in close proximity to the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport and sits in the heart of the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex.

Once completed, the Neighborhoods of Cypress Waters will feature over 10,000 multi-

family units. Currently, the Neighborhoods of Cypress Waters contain 673 multi-family units which are open for lease. The second phase of the multi-family construction will commence in early 2015 and will offer approximately 500 additional units. The Neighborhoods will be within the Coppell Independent School District and a new elementary school, junior high school, and high school will all be built to educate the young residents.

The Shops of Cypress Waters sits at the entrance of the development and will serve as a retail hub in Dallas-Fort Worth by adding 400,000 square feet of retail space, most of which has now been built. In addition, the development will host 4.5 million square feet of Class A office space which will be home to some of Texas' largest corporations. As a result, thousands of new jobs will come to the 24th District, furthering the area's resilient economic growth.

Cypress Waters also features a great outdoors environment consisting of hiking and biking trails, including a five mile loop around North Lake and connections to adjacent cities' trail systems. There are also watercourse environments and preservation areas for native species of plants and animals.

Mr. Speaker, I ask all of my distinguished colleagues to join me in celebrating the grand opening of Cypress Waters and welcoming its new residents to the 24th Congressional District of Texas.

Mr. Speaker, I am proud to recognize the Honorable Leon Hogg who is retiring from his position on the Euless City Council after 18 years of service.

Mayor Pro Tem Leon Hogg has served on the City Council since 1996. His dedication to the City of Euless, Texas, has ensured happier and healthier lives for its citizens, and his commitment to enhancing the infrastructure of the city has been vital to the area's prosperity and growth.

Mayor Pro Tem Hogg has a long-standing history of serving in leadership roles. He currently presides on the Animal Shelter Advisory Board and the Crime Control and Prevention District Board. Prior to his existing leadership positions, he served as the Council representative to the HEB Economic Development Foundation and as a member of the Half- Cent Sales Tax Education Committee. For 12 years, he served on the Parks and Leisure Services Board; furthermore, for eight of those years he presided as the chairman.

Mayor Pro Tem Hogg is involved in various community and civic groups. He graduated from the inaugural class of the Euless Citizens Fire Academy, and he is a graduate of the

12th class of the Euless Citizens Police Academy. Additionally, he is a charter member of the Euless Citizens Fire Alumni Association. He has represented the City of Euless in the National League of Cities where he served on the Program Committee in 2005 and the Community Development Policy and Advocacy Committee in 2006. He has also represented the City of Euless in the Texas Municipal League, serving on the Resolutions Committee in 2004 and 2005, and the Legislative Policy Committee on General Government in 2006.

In 2003, Mayor Pro Tem Hogg was inducted into the Hurst-Euless- Bedford ISD Sports Hall of Fame. The recognition was in honor of his positive impact on the community and HEB ISD students.

Mayor Pro Tem Leon Hogg is a retired businessman who has owned several businesses over his lifetime. He and his wife, Jan, have been married for over 55 years. They have 3 children, 8 grandchildren, and 1 great-grandchild.

Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the 24th Congressional District of Texas, I ask all my distinguished colleagues to join me in thanking the Honorable Leon Hogg for his years of service on the Euless City Council.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of making the research and development tax credit permanent. America has a long tradition of supporting research and development.

The R&D tax, which was first enacted in 1981 under President Ronald Reagan, stimulates investment, creates high-value jobs, and drives economic growth. But the R&D credit has never been made permanent. In fact, the credit expired at the end of last year, which has caused significant uncertainty and hurts long-term investment for businesses of all sizes.

The roller coaster of tax extensions, expirations, and renewals should stop. Businesses need to make decisions on what is best for their workers and companies, not the stop-and-go policies of an uncompetitive Tax Code.

Permanency of the R&D tax credit will propel U.S. competitiveness, and it will also help promote future investment, innovation, and job growth right here at home.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the Refundable Child Tax Credit Eligibility Verification Reform Act.

This bill, authored by my friend and colleague, Congressman Sam Johnson, cracks down on fraud. It requires taxpayers who claim the additional child tax credit to provide a valid Social Security number. This is just common sense.

It has been well-documented that the government loses billions of dollars due to the rampant fraud of the additional child tax credit. The IRS inspector general puts this fraud number at an unbelievable $4.2 billion a year.

This fraud--and failure to fix the problem--is simply unacceptable. This is why my constituents in Texas deserve to know what is being done to address this problem.

There is a clear solution. That solution is H.R. 556.

I urge all of my colleagues to join me today in cosponsoring this bill to deliver a more responsible government to Texas and to American taxpayers.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of three school districts in the 24th District of Texas, Carrollton-Farmers Branch ISD, Grapevine-Colleyville ISD, and Hurst-Euless-Bedford ISD, that have recently been designated to receive the prestigious honor of ``Best Communities for Music Education'' by the National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) Foundation.

The ``Best Communities for Music Education'' is a program that celebrates communities in America who support access to music education as part of their core curriculum. Each school district involved filled out a survey that answered detailed questions about funding, graduation requirements, music class participation, instruction time, facilities, support for the music program, and community music-making programs. This year, with over 2,000 school districts nominated, 376 were awarded this designation, of which I am incredibly honored to have three of those in the 24th District of Texas. This award recognizes the commitment of these school administrations, community leaders, teachers, and parents who believe in music education and are working to ensure that it is part of a complete education for children.

Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the 24th Congressional District of Texas, I ask all my distinguished colleagues to join me in honoring this recognition from the NAAM Foundation for the Carrollton-Farmers Branch, Grapevine-Colleyville, and Hurst-Euless-Bedford Independent School Districts.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the Hockaday School's centennial anniversary. The school will celebrate 100 years of learning and service this weekend.

Hockaday is a world-renowned institution in Dallas, Texas, in my congressional district. The school educates over 1,000 students from pre-K to 12th grade.

Hockaday stands on the same four cornerstones upon which it was founded: character, courtesy, scholarship, and athletics. These four cornerstones were the original vision of the school's founder, Miss Ela Hockaday. They remain the very fabric of the school and will continue to guide Hockaday students for years to come.

I ask all of my colleagues today to join me in honoring the Hockaday community on this very historic occasion.

Madam Speaker, every American family has to live within its means. It is time for Washington to do the same.

The House Republican budget deals with our debts and builds an economy that rewards Americans who work hard and want to get ahead.

I support the conservative budget for three simple reasons: the plan balances the budget within 10 years, cuts wasteful government spending over 10 years by $5.1 trillion, and pays down the national debt.

In addition, the Republican budget proposal grows the economy, repeals ObamaCare, strengthens Medicare, secures Social Security for the long term, simplifies the broken Tax Code, promotes American energy production, and enhances national and diplomatic security.

In contrast, President Obama's budget never balances, hikes taxes by $1.8 trillion, and adds $8.3 trillion more to the national debt of $17.5 trillion.

My constituents know that we can't afford more of the same Big Government spending that has buried our economy and our country in debt.

I encourage my colleagues to join me in supporting the House Republican budget and getting our Nation's fiscal house in order.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to celebrate the life of Bill Blanton who passed away on April 4, 2014. It was my privilege to have known Bill for over thirty years. He was a long standing pillar of the Carrollton, Texas community and will be greatly missed.

Bill was born March 11, 1924 and leaves behind a lasting legacy to his community and country. He served his country in the U.S. Army Air Corps, and then would serve his local community and Texas for many years thereafter. Bill served on the Carrollton/Farmers Branch Independent School District Board for ten years and then would continue his service to the community as their elected representative to the Texas House of Representatives. Bill served in the Texas House of Representatives from 1977 to 1987. During his service in Austin, Bill continued his commitment to improving the lives of our students by serving as the Chairman of the Public Education Committee. In 1986, the Metrocrest Chamber of Commerce honored Bill as the ``Citizen of the Year.'' Upon Bill's retirement from the Texas House of Representatives, I was honored to succeed him in Austin. Throughout all of his service to the community, many will remember him forever from one of their first times to hear Bill--as the voice of Carrollton High School on Friday evenings. Bill served as the voice of the Carrollton High School football team during the 1950s and 1960s on their old football field which now belongs to DeWitt Perry Junior High School.

The people of Carrollton will continue to benefit from the legacy of Bill and the entire Blanton family for many years to come. The Old Downtown Square in Carrollton features the Blanton Grain Tower. The Blanton Grain Tower serves as a tribute to the rich history and original roots of Carrollton and many other North Texas cities. Originally Carrollton was a town which served as a collection of many small and large family farms which fed into the great grain-growing plains of Middle America. Though many grain towers that were essential for the storage and distribution of grain have since been demolished or relocated to rural areas, the Blanton Grain Tower still stands and thrives in the heart of Carrollton. Long since closed for its original purpose, the Blanton Grain Tower was redesigned to now be billed as the world's largest indoor climbing gym. Ten giant grain silos with 110 foot ceilings will continue to challenge indoor rock climbers for years to come. For many years Bill worked for the family grain company--while at the same time being an active member of Lion's Club, Rotary Club, and the Carrollton Chamber of Commerce. So many have been touched by Bill, and many will continue to benefit from his legacy.

My heartfelt condolences are with the Blanton family at this difficult time. Bill was a loving husband to his wife Clovis, father of four, grandfather of five, and a great-grandfather of seven.

Mr. Speaker, I ask all of my colleagues to join me in paying tribute to the lasting legacy and public service of William W. Blanton.

Mr. Speaker, this weekend will mark the culmination of the centennial school year for The Hockaday School in Dallas, Texas. The Hockaday School is a college preparatory day and boarding school for girls and young women in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade. It is an exceptionally well-regarded and large institution with 1,000 students from eleven different countries around the world.

The Hockaday School today stands on the same Four Cornerstones upon which it was founded--Character, Courtesy, Scholarship, and Athletics. Though it has grown over the course of this century, it has grown to continually fulfill the vision of its founder, Miss Ela Hockaday, who believed that education, combined with a sense of ethics, was essential to the advancement of women in society. Miss Hockaday, born in 1875 and raised in Ladonia, Texas, was a lifelong educator. She received her bachelor's degree from what is today the University of North Texas and worked in several institutions as both a teacher and a principal in Texas and Oklahoma. She also attended the University of Chicago and Columbia University. Miss Hockaday's interests were especially strong in the sciences and, after receiving many accolades, she was made head of the biology department at Durant State Normal School in Oklahoma in 1910.

In the summer of 1913, while working her small farm in South Texas and on a break from teaching at the Oklahoma College for women, she received a telegram from Menter B. Terrill, who had previously founded the Terrill School for Boys (now St. Mark's School of Texas) in Dallas. At his suggestion she met with several Dallas businessmen who wanted her to establish a girls' preparatory school so that their daughters might have educational opportunities. Shortly thereafter, in September of 1913, Miss Hockaday's School for Girls opened in a house on North Haskell Avenue in Dallas, with an initial enrollment of ten students.

Miss Hockaday's School grew quickly, moving to its second site on Greenville Avenue in 1919. By the 1920s, its academic reputation has been well established and the school grew. A Lower School and Boarding Department were added in those years. In 1931 a Junior College was added and, seven years later, the Music Institute was opened. Miss Hockaday continued to serve as headmistress until 1946 and remained involved until her passing a decade later. All the while she ensured the permanence of the Four Cornerstones and the rigor of the classical education at the school.

In 1961, The Hockaday School moved to its third and present location at Welch Road in North Dallas. The effort had begun in 1956 under J. Erik Jonsson (who later became mayor of Dallas) and was made possible by a donation of 100 acres by Karl Hoblitzelle. The Dallas Times Herald called it ``eye-catching'' and ``the most unusual, the most attractive, the most advanced learning facility in Dallas.''

Today the Hockaday School continues to thrive. Thanks to the Hockaday Tomorrow Capital Campaign in 2004, it is home to a state-of-the-art Academic Research Center, a Lower School Addition, and a Wellness Center. Now, ten years later, the Centennial Campaign aims to provide the school with even more facilities and initiatives in the years ahead. The Hockaday School continues to serve as an important part of Dallas' educational landscape, educating girls and young women to assume positions of leadership in an ever-changing world.

Throughout this centennial school year, the school has hosted various festivities to commemorate its rich history and celebrate its bright future. After kicking-off the events in September, the school has put on an ongoing Centennial Exhibit, the Hockaday Day of Service, and the Centennial Speaker Series. It all culminates in a Centennial Week of commemorative events with a luncheon on April 11 and ``The Party of the Century'' finale on April 12, complete with musical performances and fireworks. This magnificent moment in the history of a venerable institution of women's education will be shared by students, alumnae, faculty, and many friends and family who share in the Hockaday legacy.

Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the 24th Congressional District of Texas, I ask all my distinguished colleagues to join me in marking and celebrating the centennial of The Hockaday School.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of the outstanding and proactive leadership in Texas by ExxonMobil and its recognition by the National Association of Workforce Boards (NAWB). NAWB works to create a relationship between businesses and Workforce Investment Boards to coordinate and maximize employment potential for employers and workers. ExxonMobil was recognized at the Annual Excellence Awards in Washington D.C. for creating training programs and high-paying careers for over 10,000 Texans.

This large job growth is made possible by the billions of dollars of capital investment in the Texas economy. ExxonMobil has established partnerships with local workforce boards to find unemployed workers that would be best suited for immediate employment or training. In line with training, they have also committed $500,000 to fund the Community College Petrochemical Initiative, expanding training programs to quickly recruit workers to long-term careers.

In addition to creating jobs, ExxonMobil has partnered with schools and other community collaborators to improve primary and secondary education in Texas. For instance, ``Introduce a Girl to Engineering'' provides 180 middle school girls with hands-on activities that help them learn about career opportunities in the Science Technology Engineering and Mathematical (STEM) fields. STEM education is important, as the number of job openings is expected to grow nearly twice as fast as the number of jobs in non-STEM sectors in the next 5 years. Another program, called the Advancement Via Individual Determination helps more than 400 students improve their academic and organizational skills, increasing their chances of attending college. ExxonMobil has also partnered with Lee College to provide paid internship opportunities. An impressive 100% of students that completed the internship program to date have been hired by ExxonMobil.

Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the 24th Congressional District of Texas, I ask all my distinguished colleagues to join me in honoring this recognition from the National Association of Workforce Boards.

Madam Speaker, most people agree that a 40-hour workweek is considered the average for a full-time American worker. However, ObamaCare defines full-time employment as being only 30 hours a week. The legislation before us will restore the commonly held 40- hour workweek standard.

Unless we take action, many businesses in my district will reduce the hours of their employees or will be unable to hire new workers. This will hurt many hardworking Americans who want to work more to provide for their families but who will not be able to do so because of the changes in ObamaCare.

Washington should not place barriers in front of job creation. Washington should not discourage people from working more to provide for their families or to further their careers. We can change this. I urge all of my colleagues to join me today in supporting the Save American Workers Act.

Mr. Speaker, I was unavoidably delayed in returning to Washington, DC on Monday, March 24, 2014 and missed the following two rollcall votes.

On rollcall vote 136, passage of H.R. 3060--A bill to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 232 Southwest Johnson Avenue in Burleson, Texas, as the ``Sergeant William Moody Post Office Building,'' I would have voted ``yes.''

On rollcall vote 137, passage of H.R. 1813--A bill to designate the facility of the

United States Postal Service located at 162 Northeast Avenue in Tallmadge, Ohio, as the ``Lance Corporal Daniel Nathan Deyarmin Post Office Building,'' I would have voted ``yes.''

Mr. Speaker, it is with sadness and pride that I ask my colleagues to join me in celebrating the life of the grandfather of one of my employees, John Nicholas Deoudes, who passed away on February 12, 2014 at the age of 90.

Born Ioannis Nickolas Deoudes in the village of Apeiranthos on the Greek island of Naxos, Mr. Deoudes took the name John after coming to the United States as a child. He graduated from Roosevelt High School of Washington, DC in 1942, becoming a U.S. citizen shortly thereafter and serving in the Army during World War II. Mr. Deoudes then operated a vending machine business in the Washington, DC area for nearly seven decades.

Mr. Deoudes served on the national board of the American Hellenic Educational Progressive Association and a member of the American Legion where he was a past president of his local chapter. He was a founding member

of St. George Greek Orthodox Church in Bethesda and in Ocean City, Md., and was a past president of the parish council at the Saint Sophia Greek Orthodox Cathedral of Washington, DC. He was given the title of archon for his work with the Greek Orthodox Church, which included membership in the ``Leadership 100'' endowment fund.

John N. Deoudes was blessed with a loving family who were all greatly impacted by his insatiable spirit and zest for life. To put it plainly, he and his entire family ``never had it so good.'' He shared his life with his wife of 64 years, Mary Scounas Deoudes, his four children, Nick Deoudes, Bill Deoudes, Tom Deoudes, and Jo Ann D. Calomiris of Washington; and eight grandchildren, Valerie (Michael), John Nicholas, Andrea, John William, Angelica, Dimitri, Alexa and Julia.

Mr. Speaker, John N. Deoudes great man in the many communities in which he lived and worked. I ask all my distinguished colleagues to join me in celebrating his life, and honoring the many people whose lives are better for having intersected their paths with his.

Mr. Speaker, I hear from seniors in my district every day that they are very pleased with their Medicare Advantage plans but are greatly concerned about the recently announced program cuts caused by ObamaCare. These cuts will result in higher out-of-pocket costs and benefit reductions. These cuts will be especially hard hitting on the 40 percent of Medicare Advantage enrollees who earn $20,000 a year or less. Some plans are already cutting doctors that were previously available to Medicare Advantage beneficiaries.

This is only the tip of the iceberg. Many seniors are only now hearing about these cuts. The larger problem is that most of the cuts to Medicare Advantage are all back loaded in ObamaCare--the worst is yet to come. I call on the administration to give immediate relief to our seniors and allow them to keep the Medicare Advantage plans that they depend on every day.